DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
1. Claims 1-17 are present for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
2. Claims 11 & 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 11, line 3, the term “the sensing latch” lacks a proper antecedent basis because there are more than one sensing latch recited in the parent claim 9 (line 5). What particular sensing latch does it refer to? Otherwise, it should be revised as “the at least one sensing latch” for sake of clarity and consistency with its parent claim 9.
Claim 13, line 4, similarly the term “the data latch” lacks a proper antecedent basis because there are more than one data latch recited in the parent claim 9 (line 12). What particular data latch does it refer to? Otherwise, it should be revised as “the at least one data latch” for sake of clarity and consistency with its parent claim 9.
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Allowable Subject Matter
3. Except for the outstanding 112 issues raised above, all the pending claims contain allowable subject matter over the prior arts of record as follows:
- The independent claims 1, 9 & 15 recite detail limitations for a memory device including novel usage of a data counting circuit configured to perform a counting operation based on the voltage control signal and stop the counting operation based on the sensing detection signal and provide a page buffer with a counting value according to the counting operation.
Additionally, all their remaining dependent claims also add further limitations to the recited operation above, which together they are all neither suggested nor seen elsewhere at this time.
4. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIET Q NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1788. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-3PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amir Zarabian can be reached at 571-272-1852. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VIET Q NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2827
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